This week I read an insightful post by a new blogging connection, Hanne. A Norwegian living in Bolivia, she has traveled to over fifty countries and has the focus and philosophy that Jan and I share: Get your nose out of a dated and not so authentic guidebook. Look for wonder and amazement around you. Enhance and support the local economy. MEET THE PEOPLE.

She’s just had a lot more experience in putting that in action than I have! 🙂

Instead of sharing one of my earlier posts in my occasional “Flashback Friday” format, I thought this was much more appropriate — especially since we recently returned from a trip where we didn’t have the opportunity to meet too many new people, and as wonderful as the trip was, I feel I missed out a bit on beginning to understand that area of the world.

I invite you to click over to visit Hanne and read her thoughts, and let her know what you think!

Many travellers see Lonely Planet as their bible. I don’t! Here are nine reasons why I don’t rely on Lonely Planet when I travel.

1. I don’t want to be a Lonely Planet Zombie

You have probably seen them. The Lonely Planet Zombies. They are everywhere. Walking around in the touristy streets of destinations all around the world. They almost run over people or get hit by cars due to that they refuse to look up from their Lonely Planet book. The travellers so dedicated and obsessed with this book that they refuse to sleep or eat anywhere that is not mentioned in it.

Last month, on our last full day in Spain, we decided to drive over the Sierra de las Nieves mountains to Ronda. This town has many important historical sites and facts, including being famous as the birthplace of modern bullfighting. But we didn’t plan on a huge exploration. We had to get up early the next day to begin the trip back to Norway, so planned on just a drive and lunch and short walk to experience an area that was a different environment compared to Marbella and the Costa del Sol where our friend’s house is located and where we’d focused our week.

And that was a good thing: the day of our trip, August 15th, was a holiday in Spain, so many shops were closed … which also meant there weren’t as many people around. Nice!

We had spotty internet at the house, so couldn’t do any research. We weren’t sure what the road would bring and we didn’t know how high we’d go. We had bought a map at the gas station earlier in the week, so found our route, programmed the GPS, and said “let’s go!”

I hadn’t realized how high the route took us! We ascended towards the green mountains, stopping to look back towards the road we were on, the hazy skies, and the Mediterranean that isn’t really discernible in the first two images but I *know* had to be there in the distance.

And then we kept ascending. How high would we go? The road sign told us. The sign behind *it* warned of hielo (ice), but no sightings of that in the middle of the summer! And we drove at that height for a while, passing the tree line, weaving and winding, taking in the differences between Spanish and Norwegian rock. I have to admit that, even with my familiarity of Norwegian mountain roads, the road snaking around the upper mountains made me a little nervous.

And then we began the slight descent into Ronda, catching glimpses of the white buildings glistening in the sun, and the occasional house out away from the village.

We parked and walked a bit in Ronda, enjoyed a light tapas lunch at a restaurant’s outdoor area, then walked a bit more.

And then we took our time on the drive over the mountains back to Marbella, stopping to take photos, appreciating a little more the twisting road and different scenery and topography compared to our accustomed Norwegian views.

One of the first stops was to get a closer look at this. I’m still not sure what it was, aside from an old abandoned building with very unique graffiti, old iron beams, and an engraved rock — and my limited research hasn’t given any answers. Anyone have ideas?

Our journey continued, and I grabbed a couple impressions from the car window.

Stopping to look at this section of the road — after we’d driven it already, twice! — was a little disconcerting for me. My brain *knew* we’d already safely traveled it, and that brain *knew* it was a wide enough road for two cars … but still, the emotional “fear response” kept overruling the brain when, from this angle, it looked like freshly carved mountain and tumbling rocks.

But the closer scenery was a more colorful contrast — and I saw a couple vultures riding the winds above us.

One last shot through the car windows, looking back at the tree-bare mountains we’d just snaked through …

… and, according to the GPS, we were only about fifteen minutes from the house. All in all, a delightful way to spend our last full day in Spain!

We are home after a week in Spain. Friends have a vacation house in Marbella, and we had the place to ourselves: Relaxing hours spent by the pool, interesting hours spent walking in old Marbella, satisfying hours spent exploring different traditional tapas and paella restaurants as well as those that featured a more modern menu, delicious hours sampling new Spanish wines, exploring hours spent driving in the Andalusian mountains … the week went quickly and we didn’t dive into any deep historical exploration, but for a last-minute opportunity to go we felt we absorbed as much of the local cuisine, culture, and experience as we could.

It was wonderful.

Even with just a week’s visit, I have (of course … 😉 ) way too many photos and thoughts. To begin sharing a few of them, I decided to first focus on the autonomous community (Andalusia), Province (Málaga), and especially city (Marbella) in which we stayed.

Andalusia

– Located south in the Iberian peninsula and north of the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar, the main mountain ranges are the Sierra Morena and the Baetic System, and the average temperature throughout the year is over 16 °C (61 °F)

– Rich culture and a strong cultural identity; many phenomena that are seen internationally as distinctively Spanish are largely or entirely Andalusian in origin: flamenco, bullfighting, and certain Moorish-influenced architectural styles

Marbella

– Part of the region of the Costa del Sol (Sun Coast) on the Mediterranean Sea in the foothills of the Sierra Blanca

– Has a significant archaeological heritage; some historians believe the first settlement on the present site of Marbella was founded by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC, the Roman population center was in what is now the El Casco Antiguo (Old Town) area, the Caliphate of Córdoba fortified the coastline and built a string of several lighthouse towers along it, and somuchmore

– Between the old town and the Mediterranean is a garden with fountains and a collection of ten sculptures by Salvador Dalí

– Particularly noted for the presence of aristocrats, celebrities and wealthy people, it is a popular destination for luxury yachts (which Jan and I made a conscious decision to NOT go see)

I have specific “themed” photos for future posts, but thought I’d share a few random images from Marbella now — most are my own but, as with those above, a couple are from the Interwebs and I’ve credited their sources.

How about you — when you only have a brief time in a new area, do you try to absorb and experience as much as possible overall, or do you focus on one or two aspects of the trip to experience more fully?

(I’ve lived in this amazing country for seven years. Buried in my blog’s Archives are many emotions and experiences from my first years as an expatriate. I’d like to let them see the light again! So, on occasional Fridays, I’ll share my favorites in a “Flashback Friday” type of reblog format.)

Instead of a specific early-expat experience, this week I thought I’d dig up the experience of being a tourist in a foreign country — one with a third language that confused my language-challenged brain (and the people with whom I was trying to communicate): Italy! Nine months after moving to Norway and beginning to learn the language, we vacationed in Rome and Tuscany for three weeks. In seven years of expat life and travel, it’s the only place we’ve visited that didn’t have English or Norwegian as the native tongue.

I thought this was appropriate to share today because Jan and I are on our way to Spain! We’ll be in the Málaga area for a quick week.

Although I studied Spanish in the mid-70’s, it’s long gone from my speaking abilities. I’m sure I’ll be confusing the local population with the random Norwegian/German/mispronounced Spanish that finds its way out of my mouth. I hope they’re patient with this tourist! 🙂

I’ll be “off the grid” and relaxing with my iPod, Kindle, a pool, the beach, tapas, camera, sunshine, and trips to visit historical sites in a new part of the world for us. I look forward to catching up with you and your new posts when we get back!

So, about Italy …..

Tuscany travels
September 30, 2007

Jan and I were in Rome for a week, Tuscany for two, and traveled all over that area in our rented car experiencing the wine, the olives, the food, the culture, the sites (including the ruins of an Etruscan settlement from IV-III B.C.), the people, the history …

I recently wrote “Being a foreigner in ANOTHER foreign country brought up mixed emotions in me;” I often found myself wondering just where in the world I was! I also occasionally found a Norwegian word popping out when I was trying to say something in English or in one of the few Italian words I was struggling to remember. Recognizing the humor in those moments was a private joke with myself – the Italians certainly had no idea what I was saying with my American accented Norwegian word!

(I’ve lived in this amazing country for seven years. Buried in my blog’s Archives are many emotions and experiences from my first years as an expatriate. I’d like to let them see the light again! So, on occasional Fridays, I’ll share my favorites in a “Flashback Friday” type of reblog format.)

Just as with last week, this peek into my older posts isn’t exactly from my first years as an expatriate; it’s random thoughts from near the end of my first visit to Norway. Since the 2006 World Cup was going on during that visit, and we’re about to enjoy the finals of the 2014 World Cup this weekend (GO GERMANY), I thought today was an appropriate day to share it.

Eight years later, many of these random thoughts still apply to my emotions and experiences of visiting/living in Norway … except I’ve adjusted to not having a garbage disposal. 🙂

random thoughts
June 17, 2006

I have never seen sky the shade of Norway’s before. No pollution to add to the color, just the pure air. Not a deep blue, but more pale, almost transparent and translucent. Mix it with the fluffy clouds that form over the mountains and you see something very unique.

I MISS MY AMERICAN GARBAGE DISPOSAL!!

Yes, the World Cup is going on during the last weeks of my time here, but aside from that, football/soccer is everywhere. The energy from youth and young adults playing the game in every open space is infectious.

The summer of 2006 was one of travel. May and June found me on a five-week visit to Norway for the first time, and July found my youngest daughter and me on a road trip to upstate New York to celebrate her Dad’s parent’s 50th anniversary. We then traveled on to Door County, Wisconsin for my family’s reunion (and a magical sunset).

It was a lot of driving, but it provided such wonderful moments with my daughter! I treasure the memories of conversation and music and laughter that we shared while driving together. They are, of course, even more poignant and special now, eight years later.

I dislike driving through big cities — even staying on the Interstate as it snakes through a city makes me nervous. To avoid Chicago on the return trip to Maryland from Wisconsin, and to experience something new, we decided to take the huge car ferry over Lake Michigan from Manitowoc, Wisconsin to Ludington, Michigan.

I remember it was a beautiful day. The drive from Egg Harbor to Manitowoc was peaceful, and some of it was along Lake Michigan’s blue waters.

Arriving at the point where we loaded our vehicles, we parked our car in the queue, paid for the trip, turned over our keys, and joined the other passengers in the long line to walk onto the ferry.

From our vantage point up on the huge deck, we watched the vehicles being loaded. Ominous metallic noises accompanied the small cars, mini-vans, RV’s, and a huge tractor-trailer (last one on, first one off) being loaded. They all fit!

And then the propellers did their work and off we went! Four hours of walking around the huge ship later, we arrived in Michigan refreshed and ready for the continuing drive.

… but I also took several videos of the four hour trip, focusing on the launch from Wisconsin and especially the arrival and connection in Michigan. I stitched them together into an amateur movie … at almost 10 minutes, it’s too long for *my* usual web-viewing attention span, but thought I’d share it if you’d like to experience a bit of the journey with us:

My favorite moments from the video:

– When we first pulled away, we stood on one of the passenger decks and looked down to the car deck. The car deck was open with no railing — it was a little disconcerting! Until the giant restraining bar was slowly lowered (0:47) I had visions of the tractor trailor’s brakes failing and it taking a trip to the bottom of the lake!

– The seagulls sure knew what they were doing. (1:36)

– The jet-skiers knew too! (1:53)

– From the side deck it was so windy — yet peaceful. (2:14)

– Arriving in Ludington, the harbor’s guidance boat surprised us by whipping around the big ferry. (3:26 and 3:55)

– What is it about a ship’s horn that is so haunting? (4:20)

– Dogs are allowed on the ferry, but can’t be out with their humans. On the car deck we saw several cages set up for those that weren’t in their cars. They let the world know how they felt about it, especially as we approached our landing … and the excitement level of the ferry picked up. (6:48)

– Wow. Amazing navigation. (8:50)

An observation: Manitowoc’s loading area was more industrialized, but Ludington’s was more commercialized; it looked more like a welcoming area to me with beach and grilling areas, and a marina and condos. I was born in Michigan … maybe it was just calling me home?! 🙂

Yesterday, Krista’s Daily Prompt was to write about linger: Tell us about times in which you linger — when you don’t want an event, or a day to end.

Yesterday was a busy day and I didn’t have time to linger over my thoughts about this prompt — see what I did there??? 😉 — but the idea of it stayed with me overnight, so I’m sharing my reflections this morning.

There are many times in my life where contentment and happiness have welled up, and I wished I could linger in that moment for a long time.

As an empty-nester, times with my adult daughters certainly top that list …

… but they have their own lives, and the reality is that too much lingering together would interfere with their daily routines and affect our relationship. That’s reality, that’s life, and I’m perfectly ok with it!

Since moving to Lysekloster a year ago, and especially after living through these last short-and-dreary-but-not-quite-cold-enough-to-call-it-winter-in-Norway months, I’m longing for the long and lazy evenings of lingering summer light. Many evenings last summer, I took my after-dinner tea and a book out to my bench, and sat enjoying the warmth of the sun as it inched across the sky towards its meeting with the mountain, while I listened to the sounds of the birds arguing at the feeder behind me and the boats’ motors on the fjord below me. I lingered in those moments …

… but I still live here, and there’s a hope that summer will arrive soon! I have the anticipation of lingering in those relaxing moments again.

With all the wonderful moments I’ve experienced, one particular time stands out. During our six-week exploration of New Zealand, we spent three days on the Karikari Peninsula at the Carrington Resort. It was towards the end of our time in NZ; after my husband’s son’s wedding, we had no set schedule and had driven around the northern part of the North Island, just stopping where we felt the call. Carrington Resort was a gift — we stayed in a large villa with a porch looking over the golf resort and Matai Bay. And one evening, the setting sun put on a show for me. I could hear Jan on the phone with his son, and I sat on the porch with a glass of my favorite NZ Sauvignon Blanc. I felt as if I was lost in a personal moment.

Not only did I linger, but my memories of our trip frequently linger on that particular moment. It is all summed up with this:

More photos of our time on Karikari Peninsula are here, and here is where this part of the world is located on the map.

Did you participate in this prompt yesterday? Share your link below! If not, do you have a special moment in your life where you lingered? I’d enjoy reading of *your* reflections!

The summer of 2006 found my extended family in Door County, Wisconsin, celebrating time together. (This is the trip where my daughter and I visited the Stave Church on Washington Island.) I had just gotten back from a visit to Norway, and was anticipating my huge move within the next year. This week with family was so special because of that.

One evening we were out for dinner. Just as we were finishing, the skies looked to be setting up for a gorgeous sunset … so we jumped in our cars and drove as safely yet quickly as possible to Egg Harbor’s marina to watch.

We got there barely in time to see the sun slip below the water. I caught just a few photos, but looking at them always makes me smile with the remembered warmth of the day, and the continuing warmth of family.